Christmas Star Doilies with Crochet Lace Hearts

For each doily, you will need an 11" x 11" piece of cotton or linen cloth, water-soluble Vilene stabilizer and 60-weight cotton embroidery threads. The finished size of the doily is about 14" x 14". For the doily with the cross-stitch snowman we used 14-count green Aida and green cotton threads. For the second doily we used white linen and lilac cotton threads.

Step One: Embroider the fabric insert first, then set it aside. When embroidering the snowman, we did not embroider its frame.

Step Three: Lay out the FSL patterns in accordance with the diagram above, pin them in place and start stitching. You can use either zigzag or any other bridge stitch. The stitch should be dense enough in order not only attach the lace to the fabric, but also finish the raw edges of the fabric.

Step Four: Cut away the excess fabric under the lace. You can now go ahead and dissolve the water-soluble stabilizer. Place the workpiece into a bowl of warm water; change the water several times. Spread the doily on a flat surface and leave to air dry.

The second doily is made in the same way. We used the design Winter and a decorative stitch from the machine.